Chickasaw police identify man found dead in minivan

Chickasaw police today identified the man found shot in his minivan on Sunday as 29-year-old Benjamin Joseph Martin.

Martin had stopped his minivan near the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Iroquois Street when someone shot him from outside the vehicle, said Sgt. Gerald Thornton. Martin then tried to drive away, crashing into a nearby utility pole, Thornton said. Police said he was shot once in the back of his left shoulder.

Martin moved to Chickasaw in February from Florida, Thornton said. Police were called to the scene at about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.